EBONY’s Year-End Issue: Celebrates its Power 150 and Launches a New Look

Chicago-based Johnson Publishing Co. has announced that starting with the December/January issue, EBONY magazine will begin unveiling numerous changes in the iconic brand.

Most evident among the new features is a change in the magazine’s logotype. Gone are the white type characters set on a red rectangular background that have been the publication’s logo since its introduction 64 years ago. The word EBONY is now emblazoned across the entire top of the cover, giving it as much prominence as those African-Americans featured below in riveting photographic imagery.

EBONY’s re-designed year-end issue is a special highlighting its Power 150 list which celebrates some of the most influential figures in the African-American community. The issue features eight individual covers designed to appeal to a broad range of interests. The cover subjects — selected because they represent “agents of change” — are President Barack Obama, Venus and Serna Williams, the Rev. Al Sharpton, Chris Rock, Mo’Nique, Wanda Sykes, Queen Latifah, and LeBron James

“In celebrating the many facets and faces of power in the African-American community, we showcased a wide range of intriguing people who will undoubtedly surprise and engage our audience,” said Chairman and CEO Linda Johnson Rice. “Our Power 150 list, featuring eight stunning covers, takes a close look at inspiring leaders who’ve made a remarkable difference on various levels.”

Additional changes which have been in the works for months will roll out over the next several months involving the JPC’s print, digital, entertainment and consumer products.

“The Celebration issue is the first step forward in our evolving branding strategy, which will help underscore our competitive edge and signal EBONY’s new direction,” said President and COO Anne Sempowski Ward. “We are also incorporating feedback from consumers into our expanding brand and editorial platforms to provide broader and richer content with a distinctive point of view.”

EBONY magazine, the No. 1 magazine for African-Americans, is published monthly and reaches over 12 million readers with each issue. Published by Johnson Publishing Company, Inc., the largest Black-owned publishing company in the world, EBONY magazine was founded in 1945 by the late Publisher and Chairman John H. Johnson.